A steering wheel that trembles along the A38 from Northfield towards Longbridge usually points to an unbalanced wheel, and our balancer travels in the van to your B31 drive.
Bristol Road South carries Northfield traffic down to Longbridge, Rubery and M5 J4 at Lydiate Ash, and that stretch is where an imbalance shows itself. The steering or the seat begins to buzz once the car picks up pace, then settles back as you slow for the village. Common causes here are a weight knocked off by a Turves Green speed cushion, a bus lane kerb clipped on the A38, or a tyre repaired without being rebalanced.
Balancing is worth doing whenever a tyre goes on, after a BS AU 159 puncture repair, since the tyre had to come away from the rim, when one of the rim weights, clipped or glued, has disappeared, and after a hard knock against a kerb. A vibration that only began after one of those events is the classic sign. Patchy wear across the tread can be another. Tell us where you feel it: steering shake points to the front pair, a seat or floor buzz to the rear.
A flat driveway on the West Heath side, in Allens Cross or around Turves Green, a quiet side road off Bristol Road South, or a normal bay at Northfield Leisure Centre. Not the A38 bus lanes, and not the small station car park at busy times.
| Near | Northfield station, Northfield Shopping Centre, Northfield Leisure Centre |
|---|---|
| Typical arrival | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
About wheel balancing nationwide → · Wheel balancing on the Northfield page
The fitter lifts the car on your West Heath or Allens Cross drive, takes each suspect wheel off and mounts it on the balancer inside the van. It spins up, the readout calls the weight and the position, and new weights go on the rim before the wheel is refitted and torqued. What we do not do is alignment: a car pulling to one side or wearing one edge needs a garage with a tracking rig.
Wheel shake on the A38? Balancing done on your Northfield drive by the van's own machine.
